Chapter 85

Boris, now we should call him Archibald.

After venting his anger and making threats, Orville made his stance clear—to overthrow Puli's rule.

Meanwhile, some nobles who already knew about the situation and had taken sides began to gather around the two of them. The situation was obvious, which made Puli's face even more pale and ashen.

His lips trembled with rage as he accused, "You... you're committing treason! The Holy See will not allow it..."

Archibald scoffed, "Your sins are grave. The devil has already opened his arms to you in the abyss. Rest assured, your mistresses will all go with you."

Lady Jona was teetering on the brink of collapse, and the king's other mistresses begged for mercy.

Suddenly, Tosi pointed at a nobleman standing behind Archibald, his face pale and contorted with rage, and shouted, "It's you?!"

"You presented me with that box of candy as a gift, and hinted at the price and origin of the Lemon Candy, enticing me to take it!"

The man said with great envy, "The person who possesses the White Sugar Formula can make a steady stream of money through it."

A secret formula that can generate huge profits and is the envy of everyone!

This almost immediately aroused Tosi's covetousness, leading to what happened next.

--After failing to discover the White Sugar Formula, he entered the palace--Soon after the king invited Desinia to the empire for the queen's birthday banquet.

Tosi's eyes widened in fury. "This was all your conspiracy! You planned this all along to seize the throne!"

He was incoherent and nearly driven mad by everything that had suddenly happened.

Cyrus was taken aback upon hearing this.

Archibald hadn't looked in Cyrus's direction since entering the banquet hall, and now he dared not look at the expression on Shazoy's face.

--Tosi Cavendish was right, he catalyzed the whole thing.

The king, however, cared little for any of that; all he was concerned about was that his throne might very well vanish after tonight.

Puli cried out, "No! You can't! The Archbishop... the Archbishop of the Holy See is right here, he..."

Puli was breathing heavily.

He was desperately searching for hope of escape.

When his gaze finally landed on Archbishop Paul, whom he had met before, he was initially delighted.

But then, a mixture of fear and apprehension, along with the joy and hope that arose after finding the person, suddenly froze on his face—making Puli look stiff and comical.

Because he spotted those unique golden eyes in the crowd.

The mere sight of those eyes staring silently at you sent chills down your spine, causing you to tremble until fine beads of sweat appeared on your forehead and back.

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The Pope?! What's he doing here?

Why is he here?!

Puli panicked and wanted to deny the other person's existence.

However, the archbishop he was looking for stood respectfully behind him, clearly reminding him that His Holiness the Pope had actually come to the banquet without his knowledge.

The Pope witnessed everything from beginning to end, yet tacitly approved of these events; the meaning is self-evident.

Puli couldn't help but feel dizzy and lightheaded.

A wave of dizziness was hitting him hard, making him want to collapse immediately, but his feet were rooted to the ground, unable to move an inch.

In an instant, he understood why the Pope remained unmoved.

Puli's unbridled pursuit of mistresses not only left members of the royal family helpless, but also, to some extent, rendered the Holy See powerless to do anything about him.

After Joanna and his affair came to light, the Holy See sent people to hold them accountable.

But Puli's years of smooth sailing had inflated his arrogance and conceit to an uncontrollable degree, and Joanna also held evidence against him for murdering his brother years ago...

As a result, he completely ignored the Holy See's demands for accountability.

They even arrogantly mocked the Holy See for meddling in other people's business and clashed with the Holy See on several occasions.

He had been blinded by his own eyes and had completely forgotten how inviolable the authority of the Holy See was.

Puli's face trembled uncontrollably.

Cyrus was genuinely worried that he might faint at any moment.

Lady Jona, standing beside Puli, was equally observant; she had clearly also noticed His Holiness the Pope's presence.

Cyrus couldn't help but gently tug at Segalot's sleeve, and as Segalot considerately leaned closer, she whispered, "See, you scared them."

Segalot chuckled. "So they're just cowards, aren't they?"

Cyrus shook her head. "Never do anything against your conscience or by any means necessary for profit. Only those who do this have inner strength and are fearless."

"Otherwise, like them, if you don't become a devil, fear and unease will eventually fester within you."

Puli's malice and greed, Lady Jona's blindness and folly... were the root causes of this tragedy.

Segalot's gaze was fixed on the person who had gently tugged at his sleeve. Just as he was about to speak, he saw Cyrus release his grip, clench his fist, wave it in the air, and glare at the leader of the Nagabi Merchant Guild and Grand Duke Orville with his caramel-colored eyes.

"I'm really a little angry," he said.

Cyrus couldn't help but glance at His Holiness the Pope again, her anger also directed at him—but clearly less so than the other two, just a little annoyed.

Segalot asked calmly, "Because Archibald Cavendish put you in danger... he used you?"

Of course, the same was true for Grand Duke Achiyoli.

Although Segalot was also involved in the plan, she was more concerned with preventing that fool Puli from trying to touch his beloved Little Rose with his filthy hands.

--His Holiness the Pope defended himself in his heart.

He slowed his breathing and stood quietly behind Cyrus.

Cyrus wasn't stupid; a little thought would make it clear—he was an indispensable part of Boris's (no... Archibald's) plan to secede the Anas Empire alongside His Holiness the Pope and Grand Duke Orville.

Although Cyrus did not know when the three of them had made contact and started planning together, the most important opportunity in this plan was "King Puli's invitation to the Queen's birthday banquet" - the time, place, and people were all just right.

The person he was most angry with was Archibald.

Archibald did indeed have some use for him—because of Tosi Cavendish's earlier remarks and Darnell's previous meeting.

He didn't believe that Darnell's probing in the cabin wasn't at Archibald's behest.

But thinking about it, I realized I couldn't possibly be that angry.

After all, ever since beet sugar was invented and sold, its "danger" has always been lurking in the shadows. Even without Archibald's early intervention, this day would have only been a little later.

Perhaps Archibald's plan was to have his men subtly suggest to Tosi that the initiative could be taken into account...

Cyrus recalled her years of pen pal correspondence with Archibald, Archibald witty and humorous writing in his letters... and finally couldn't help but comfort herself.

"No, it's nothing." Cyrus shook her head.

He actually had no right to be angry.

Cyrus thought he could understand Archibald's burning desire for revenge.

Moreover, this banquet was a prelude to his crisis, and Archibald's revenge plan, on the contrary, relieved his predicament to some extent...

Cyrus withdrew her small fist and calmly said, "It's nothing."

"I was just thinking that I hadn't even had a chance to take any 'meaningful' actions towards His Majesty the King before he was about to be killed. It's a bit of a shame."

Segalot raised an eyebrow.

While the two of them were whispering to each other, almost living in their own world, turmoil had already broken out over there.

Puli had been in power for many years, and he was not without his trusted confidants.

A small number of royal family members still support him, and these people also played a part in the plot to murder the eldest prince, Lawrence.

Archibald wants to kill Puli, and then he'll deal with them directly; they can't just sit and wait to die.

Thus began a chaotic struggle, with the enemy outnumbering us and the enemy putting up a stubborn resistance.

Amidst Lady Jona's loud screams and the panicked cries of the king's other mistresses, Cyrus was scooped up by the pope, who held her around the waist and lifted her legs like a baby...

Startled, Cyrus Zuoyi grabbed the other person's neck with both arms. "What are you doing?!"

Segalot: "Leave here."

He patted Cyrus's back and whispered, "Remember what I said before? Archibald Cavendish is a complicated man. You should stay away from him..."

"He was never ' Boris Abel,' he had the blood of the Cavendish Royal House flowing in his veins."

Cyrus thought to herself, "Yes, you said those words in my castle."

But Boriet, oops, Archibald! Archibald! He once told me, "The Holy See is too complicated, don't get involved," and told me to stay away from you.

You guys are really something... wait a minute!!!

Cyrus suddenly froze, realizing something.

He tilted his head back to meet Segalot's gaze, a strange light in his eyes, his expression shifting repeatedly. "So... you, the Grand Duke, and Archibald actually reached an agreement right here in my castle?!"

This time, it was Segalot's turn to have a slight change in expression.

He paused, then suddenly reached out and pressed Cyrus's little head against his shoulder, leading Paul quickly out of the banquet hall.

Behind them were bowls and plates shattering on the ground, men roaring, women screaming, and the sound of swords clashing...

Cyrus secretly curled her lip, too lazy to struggle off His Holiness the Pope any further.

He looked toward the center of the banquet hall—and his gaze met Archibald's deep, lake-green eyes, which were filled with apology.

Cyrus was stunned again, and then he buried his head in the position of wrapping his arms around the Pope's neck.

I'm feeling down again, please don't bother me.

Cyrus was safely led out of the palace by Segalot.

Judas was waiting for him outside, accompanied by the tailor and maid who had been brought into the palace by Darnell to do the queen's makeup and dressing.

Judas had clearly heard what they were saying, and a look of unease and worry appeared on his face, which gradually faded when he saw Cyrus's figure.

"My lord!" Judas stepped forward quickly.

Segalot had already put Cyrus down, and now leaned down and whispered, "Shall we go back to the Grand Duke's mansion, or to my residence?"